The Void
The Void cannot be described as a destructive force. The Void simply is…or is not. It goes beyond destruction, obliteration or disintegration. The Void is the absence of concept and, in consequence, the absence of existence. The Void as it is (or is not) lacks anything like a will, or an intellect. It simply consumes. A mindless force by itself, the Void can then be directed, its insatiable hunger driven for a specific purpose…to an extent. It remains a mystery how the first ‘Acolyte of The Void’ managed to learn how to use the void without destroying themselves in the attempt. Somehow, they did it, and wisely went through the effort of recording their experience for their descendants. Not only the ‘Acolytes of the Void’ but also many others with the potential to tap into the Void relies on the Codex of the Void as the first and most fundamental introduction to this most arcane and dangerous of arts. The author, who signed the manuscript with the rather silly name ‘Sasa’, begins the text with a most stern and sincere description of what the Void represents and the innate risk involved in reaching for its all-consuming power. The Whispers The Void has no identity or sense of self, so it is not possible to just ask it nicely to allow you to use it. All users of the Void do so via ‘intermediaries’: unknown beings which somehow ‘create’ the connection’ between the Void user and Oblivion itself, in exchange for the right to attempt to drive you insane. Maddening dreams, disturbing visions or simply nondescript voices echoing inside your head from time to time; they are too small a price for the ‘privilege’ of wielding the power of utters annihilation. These beings worship Oblivion, and wish nothing but the ultimate obliteration of everything that is. By granting the power of the Void to those with the potential to wield it, they take this most malign of aspirations a step further to completion. It’s win-win for them, no matter how you look at it. Who or what these beings are, and why they can create these ‘connections’ to the Void, are anyone’s guess. The Ultimate Price The Void consumes all. Every time you use its power, Reality is dragged a little bit closer to Oblivion. Throughout your entire life, you will be ravaged by haunting dreams of loss and emptiness. Whispering voices will urge you to offer sacrifices to Oblivion, to feed the gaping mouth that devours even time itself. You cannot falter. Your mind and body must remain strong. Peace is but a hopeless dream for you. The Void knows no hesitation. Should you allow it, it will make you its next meal. If you wish for the ultimate power, you must be ready to spend your entire life paying the price. And in the end, the Void WILL devour you. No user of the Void will ever be taken in by the servants of death. No user of the Void will rejoin the endless cycle of souls. To those who reached into the Mouth of the Void, only nothingness awaits. Twilight Walker A Twilight Walker has not yet truly ‘tapped into the Void’. In fact, Twilight Walkers do not even need to be aware of the Void’s existence to use its powers at this stage. This is the case of most of those who may potentially use the void. This is the stage of ‘Shadow Manipulation’. Curiously (and stupidly) enough, most people able to choose to skip this stage and make their ‘connection’ as soon as possible. Once the connection is made, it is impossible to learn Shadow Manipulation: the Void can only be used to destroy. Those who stay within this stage and never attempt to go further are spared from the hopeless end that awaits their more experienced peers. Some of the techniques available at this stage are Shadow Imitation Technique, Shadow Neck Binding Technique, Shadow Sewing Technique, Shadow Endgame Technique, Shadow Step Technique, and Three-Legged Race Technique. Darklands Walker The Darklands Walker has reached into the Void, and the Void has accepted him most eagerly. There’s no turning back anymore. This is the most unstable stage; the Darklands Walker soon becomes aware of the unrelenting, indiscriminate nature of the Void, and must quickly learn how to keep it from devouring him as well as his enemies. However, the Darklands Walker will find it hard to restrain himself, and emotions such as envy, anger, fear and lust can quickly overwhelm him and easily drag him to Oblivion. This is actually quite noticeable, as the succumbing Darklands Walker’s body gradually turns pitch black. At this stage, the Void’s power comes unbridled. Void techniques come almost as naturally as breathing. It seems almost too easy, to just extend a hand and watch that most hated person being swallowed by his own shadow. With such incredible power within his grasp, why would the Darklands Walker restrain themselves and renounce to it? Famous last thoughts. At this stage it is still not possible to directly aim the Void’s hunger at the living. However, the inanimate is fair game. The Darklands Walker fears no weapon (Devouring Guard Technique, Unraveling Touch Technique), and he may also infuse objects with the Void to harm the living indirectly (Hungry Ghost Arrow, Bottomless Pit Technique). Void enchantments and illusions at this stage rely on projecting the unnatural presence of the Void to strike at the opponent’s primal fear of death (Aura of Doom Imminent, Aura of Existential Subjugation) or pretending to be at a higher stage of Void Mastery to scare, confuse and fool opponents (Rain of Blood over Avici). Of course, before any of these techniques, the starting Darklands Walker quickly learns the three fundamental Void techniques, Projection (Void Extension), Emission (Void Fire) and Rejection (Aegis of Shadow/Aegis of Twilight). ' Netherlands Walker' Not to be confused with the European country of the same name. The Darklands Walker lives in constant threat of being consumed by the Void he wields. This is shown by the darkness that quickly coats his body whenever he allows his emotions to run unchecked. Sooner or later, the Darklands Walker is fully overtaken by the blackness, and his body is warped and reshaped into a monstrous form that reflects his warped soul. The Walker must come to accept this form as an aspect of himself; the manifestation of the vile contract he has signed with Oblivion. To accept and embrace one’s own darkness, whether via acknowledgement or resignation, is the only means to reach into the next stage. Those who do not succumb to their fear and denial return to their original bodies, their souls and mind strengthened by the ordeal. They also gain the ability to shift to their darkness-infused form (Avatar of Oblivion) and become walking engines of apocalypse. Those who fail are bound to their new warped forms, and their ravaged minds drive them on a chaotic rampage that only ends when the monster is killed or when it runs out of chakra. In either case, Oblivion does not hesitate to claim him afterwards. The Netherlands Walker has overcome the Void, and himself. Aware of just how far he can take his powers before they take over him, he slowly begins to develop the more advanced forms of Void Manipulation. Most Void users that make it to this step stay at this stage for the rest of their lives: the Whispers are annoying, but bearable, and other than the inevitable fate that waits upon death, this stage is relatively ‘safe’. Those few souls who actually make it to this stage are unable to go any further, not because of lack of talent, skill or mental fortitude, but because of lack of time. With the path to the Void finally unlocked before him, the Netherlands Walker can learn how to make the Void do what it does best—devour and obliterate everything. He can just overtly unleash the all-consuming darkness to erase his enemies (Maw of Oblivion, Wave of Black Destruction) or eliminate them in subtler, more sadistic ways, like draining their energy (Succubus Kiss Technique, Succubus Dinner Technique) or strike directly at basic physiological phenomena (Dead River Technique, Absence of Flow Technique). He can shape the Void-stuff into weapons only; the instruments of death and destruction (Blade of Annihilation of Form, Oblivion War Machine, Rain of Blood over Elysium, Void Serpent Technique), or wrap the world within a cloak of supernatural darkness (Darkness). Experienced Netherlands Walkers can shape the Void into the most lethal of weapons: themselves—or their shadows, to be precise (Awakening of Shadow’s Ego). Void illusions at this level can easily eliminate one or more senses (Bringer of True Darkness Technique) or eliminate specific objects or people from the victim’s perception (Cloak of Ignorance Technique). Void enchantments at this level are awfully cruel in their simplicity. For example, the victim may find his voice taken away (Intellectual Isolation Technique), or his ability to recognize faces (World of Strangers Technique), or his ability to sleep (Dreamless Agony Technique). More advanced enchantments may take away a victim’s ability to learn and memorize (Intellectual Banishment Technique. Labyrinth Walker Those who do not find satisfaction at the Netherlands Walker stage may attempt to deepen their connection to the Void by stepping into the labyrinthine limbo that separates Reality from Oblivion. By communing closer to the source of the Whispers and the other abominations that call this place home, the more esoteric ways to manipulate the Void are revealed. Only the bravest, mightiest and most confident attempt to reach this stage, in which madness is but a step away. Destruction changes from an overt display of Void power to a mere afterthought, as the Labyrinth Walker can now snuff out souls with but a thought (Gaze of Oblivion). Techniques that required contact in the previous stage can now be used at a distance (Succubus Kiss Technique becomes Succubus Breath-Stealing Technique, for example). The Labyrinth Walker can now use shadows in more mystical, esoteric ways (Mirrored Pattern of Pain, for example, allows the user to throw the shadow of an object, and shadow and object switch places when the shadow ‘hits’ something), and he could even try to learn the Shadow Techniques from the Twilight Walker stage if he did not do so back then. Labyrinth Walkers can hold back the Void’s ravenous hunger, denying it its meal until a time of his choosing (delayed techniques: Brand of the Void Technique, Seal of Unraveling). With the availability of complex Void Manipulation techniques, the large-scale technique of the Netherlands Walker stage become mostly unnecessary. If they are used, however, their scale grows to terrifying proportions. Invocation of the Void obliterates everything within a radius of up to one kilometer. Void Step Technique allows traveling long distances in a fraction of the time by means of using the dangerous labyrinth as a shortcut. Heaven in Darkness can swallow whole cities within a black haze that consumes all light. Furthermore, the Labyrinth Walker can command the Void to consume concepts in completely surreal ways. He may eliminate a victim’s ‘presence’ in Reality, effectively tuning him into a non-entity, completely invisible and unnoticeable to others (Denial of Existence Technique). He may take away his enemy’s identity and sense of self, rendering him unable to recognize where he ends and the world around him begins (One-with-the-World Technique). Or he may simply obliterate all memories and personality, returning the hapless victim’s mind to a blank slate (Existential Oblivion Technique). Summoning techniques become available to call upon the denizens of the labyrinth (Summoning: Servant of Oblivion/Emissary of Oblivion). Finally, the final Void-type Aegis technique, Aegis of Oblivion, can only be learned by Labyrinth Walkers. The Void Acolyte can direct his powers to consume even more intangible and fuzzy concepts. He may take away a person’s maturity and responsibility, for example. Combined with an enchantment that affects the victim’s balance, he can then turn the target of her scorn into a clumsy, child-like fool (Curse of Dreams Shattered). He may take away a victim’s perception of time, trapping him in a Groundhog’s Day situation of his own fabrication (Tragedy of Repetition Technique). Reducing the time loop interval to a mere instant means the ‘loops’ reset before the victim can do anything, so he just stays still until he dies (Macabre Singularity Technique). Even more interesting, the Void Acolyte can actually deny Oblivion its meal, seizing it instead and containing it within a suitable seal. While destroying someone’s personality is always good to make a point, holding it hostage instead definitely has its benefits. Voidwalker There’s a heated discussion amongst Void Acolyte as to whether the Voidwalker stage actually exists. The believers glee at the possibilities behind such power, as the description in the Codex falls well within the scope of a greater deity. A Voidwalker would definitely tip the Celestial-Void balance to the latter’s side. However, the same believers cannot deny the strong arguments against the Voidwalker’s existence. It is well known that the original manuscript of the Codex, currently a relic of the Kuromiya Clan, does not include the description of the Voidwalker stage. However, it is not know when this description first appeared. Regardless, it means that either ‘Sasa’ lived an absurdly long life, or someone else added this section to later copies of the Codex. Even worse, the single condition stated to trigger the Voidwalker stage is to step into the Mouth of the Void…and come back. If such a thing is possible, it means the survivor (obviously changed by the experience, but alive) has challenged the Void and established his dominance. The ultimate obliterating power responds to the will of the Voidwalker, allowing him to use it in ways that overly challenge the very nature of the Void. To wield Oblivion for purposes other than straightforward eradication is the true mark of Mastery. The Codex’s description of a Voidwalker’s abilities is nothing short of unbelievable. The Voidwalker can use the enchantment, Denial of Existence Technique, onto himself and convert its effect into reality. The Voidwalker becomes a true non-entity, and he cannot be targeted by any attack. He may summon not only the denizens of the labyrinth, but the labyrinth itself, which he can then reshape as he wishes. He may open entrances to the labyrinth and push his unfortunate enemies into the realm of madness within. He may finally shape the Void-stuff into objects other than weapons and even modify their appearance so they look like the real thing. He may nullify the effects of events that already occurred, like restoring a object that broke after falling or a fatal wound. Category:LoC